As you look at the sparkling new glass bottles and jars on the shelves in Supermarkets today, it is difficult to imagine that part of the glass from which it was made has been in use for over 20 years or more.

Last year, it may have been a soft drinks bottle, the year before a jam jar, or even a whisky bottle. Who knows? Currently in the UK, the Glass Industry has the ability and capacity to recycle millions of tonnes of glass per year, as well as glass being able to be indefinately recycled without compromising it’s quality, making Glass perfect for reuse in producing new items and useable elements.

Over the years there has been several methods and numerous sources in the recycling of Glass.

Recycled Glass is generally collected from Bottle Banks, which are commonly found near Supermarkets, Shopping Centres, and living amenities.

Currently 1,500,000 tonnes of glass bottles are recycled from households every year, and recycled Glass can reproduce literally millions of new bottles and packaging items every year, which has many environmental effects.

Bottle Banks are the most common collection points of recycled glass, with over 50,000 in the UK alone.

Recycling Effects

Recycling is a hugely beneficial process, as the material’s structure does not deteriorate when reprocessed, meaning 100% of the waste glass can be reclaimed and used in the manufacturing process. 752,000 tons of glass is now recycled annually in the UK, and the use of recycled glass in the manufacture of useable items greatly reduces energy consumption.

For every tonne of recycled glass melted in the reproduction process saves approximately 315kg of Carbon Dioxide, which in turn reduces emissions overall.

Did You Know?That recycling two glass bottles or jars uses the same amount of energy it would take to boil water for five cups of tea.

Recycling of Glass also reduces the demand for raw materials, as they do not have to be quarried from the landscapes, which is a huge advantage of recovering and recycling glass. It is believed that for every tonne of recycled glass used preserves 1.3 tonnes of raw materials, causing a reduction in quarrying in the UK.